10: Chapter 10 The Clumsy Red Pirate

Aria remained stationed on a high ground with a sweeping view; compared to the other prisoners, she possessed a relatively "comfortable" environment for her confinement.

Each day, she watched as the planet transformed at a suffocating pace, observing how those expressionless monkeys converted death and profanity into a cold, clinical efficiency.

Aria occasionally attempted to converse with the clones guarding her, using the elegant cadence of the Aeldari to inquire about their origins and purpose, yet she was met only with silence and hollow stares.

These monkeys seemed interested only in practical knowledge, possessing no concept of philosophy or art.

Just as Cheng Yu believed he could focus on internal development, a new alert arrived from the scouting clones in the distance.

It was neither the Imperial fleet nor the Necrons.

It was a pitifully small fleet, comprised of three battered armed merchant ships and a smaller, seemingly jury-rigged frigate.

They bore no Imperial markings; instead, their hulls were painted with crude patterns of skulls and gears, along with massive, crooked strings of Low Gothic script.

The Red Corsairs.

A common raiding fleet in the border sectors—more violent than any Rogue Trader and greedier than the regular navy.

They had clearly detected the presence of Cheng Yu Planet and were charging straight toward it without any attempt at concealment, engines at full throttle, clearly posturing for a forced landing and raid.

Cheng Yu's main body stood on the bridge of the "dont eat cilantro," his shared vision reflecting those shabby yet malicious pirate ships.

["Truly... even the lowliest flies dare to come and take a bite."]

A flicker of annoyance flashed through his consciousness.

The Red Corsairs' communication cut through, crude and filled with static.

["Listen up down there! We are the Red Corsairs 'Blood Scab' fleet! Open landing permissions immediately and hand over all valuables, fuel, and able-bodied slaves! Resistance only leads to death!"]

Cheng Yu nearly laughed out loud.

Valuables? Aside from starch and promethium, he possessed nothing.

Slaves? Every moving thing was simply a part of himself.

He did not respond to the communication, issuing orders directly instead.

["'Lost Tenderness' and 'Forgotten Life,' launch and engage. Let's test our new weapons."]

The two newly modified ships, their hulls crudely welded with unstable dockside cannons, spewed thick black plumes of promethium smoke as they wobbled into the sky.

Without even attempting to close the distance, they fired a volley from an extreme range toward the general direction of the Red Corsairs.

An incredibly unstable, twisting, and crackling beam of green energy erupted from one of the cannons, traversing the vast distance to strike the engine section of the small frigate by sheer luck.

There was no sound of an explosion in space, only silent destruction.

The frigate's entire engine section vanished as if wiped away by an eraser, and the remaining hull disintegrated amidst the flames.

The other energy beam missed completely, vanishing into the deep void of space, yet its dissipating energy fluctuations were enough to interfere with the navigation system of "Forgotten Life" itself.

The Red Corsairs' communication channel was instantly flooded with astonishment and chaotic curses.

They clearly had not expected this seemingly primitive planet to possess orbital defense capabilities, let alone an attack method that was so… incomprehensible.

["Retreat! Pull back! It's some piece of Ork junk!"] the pirate leader shrieked.

The remaining three armed merchant ships scrambled to turn around, attempting to flee.

Cheng Yu watched coldly.

["Pursue. Test pursuit capabilities. Collect data."]

The two ships of Cheng Yu clumsily adjusted their course, trailing plumes of black smoke as they gave chase at a leisurely pace.

Their speed was unimpressive, and their firing accuracy was abysmal, but the terrifying power of those unstable energy beams was enough to strike terror into the Red Corsairs, who fled at full speed without once looking back.

A brief, one-sided skirmish had concluded.

Cheng Yu felt no joy, only a cold sense of assessment.

The weapon power was acceptable, but the reliability was abysmal. The fleet's maneuverability and command systems remained crude.

It was sufficient for dealing with sporadic pirates, but far from enough to face a real threat.

He glanced toward the direction of Zhao Zhen Planet, where the ghostly green light seemed to have grown slightly brighter than before.

He then cast a glance at the warehouse storing the energy crystals.

Time was still of the essence.

He needed more resources, more technology, more… everything.

["Accelerate."]

His will rippled through the network once more.

["We need something that can truly reason."]

...

Cheng Yu's consciousness, like a cold probe, repeatedly scanned the fragmented data transmitted from the front lines of Zhao Zhen Planet.

Seemingly weary of the repeated probes by the Cheng Yu clones, the Necron tomb had deployed Necron Warriors capable of taking the offensive.

The ghostly green phase blades of the Necron Warriors claimed dozens of clones with every flicker; their attacks were precise, efficient, and devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

The cost of the siege was rising steadily. Every probing attack felt like feeding the clones into a high-efficiency shredder.

The death rate on the front lines of Zhao Zhen Planet had soared to a dangerous level; the population of Cheng Yu clones on Zhao Zhen Planet had reached a state of negative growth.

["We cannot continue to exhaust ourselves like this."]

Cheng Yu's main body opened his eyes upon the command throne of the "dont eat cilantro."

["Either find their weakness, or seal them off entirely."]

Sealing them off entirely would be costly and yield no potential benefits.

Cheng Yu's choice was obvious.

["All frontline units, change strategy."]

["Deploy in hundred-man squads to disperse and harass. Record the mode of action, range, and recharge interval for every weapon. Use your lives as fuel if you must, but bring me that data!"]

The order manifested as intangible electrical signals, traversing the void.

On the surface of Zhao Zhen Planet, the dense tide of clones began to shift, transforming from clumsy, clustered charges into more flexible—and far more brutal—suicide reconnaissance missions.

They approached the tomb entrance from every angle, using the most primitive tactics of throwing stones and charging to draw out enemy fire.

It was solely to observe every fleeting moment as the Necron Warriors raised their weapons, aimed, fired, and recharged.

The data flowed like a trickle into Cheng Yu's shared network, gradually piecing together the behavioral patterns of the Necrons.

The maximum range of their phase blades, the brief intervals required for recharging, their reaction speed to attacks from the rear… all purchased at the cost of casualty figures that soared with every passing second.

Meanwhile, construction on the main body of Cheng Yu Planet did not slow down.

The underground hive was dug ever deeper and grew increasingly complex, even beginning to show functional differentiation: residential sectors, promethium production zones, weapons testing grounds, and areas specifically for "housing" prisoners.

The Rogue Trader's crew, under the "assistance" of the clones, tremblingly attempted to improve the efficiency of promethium refining, and even began to use scavenged parts to piece together more reliable lasguns.

Although the production output was pitifully low, it was still better than nothing.